New coach Mike Minter hopes to make Campbell competitive

Friday

Aug 30, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 30, 2013 at 6:25 PM

By Bret Strelow Staff writer

BUIES CREEK - The out-of-position defender backpedaled, left his feet and extended his right arm behind his head, reaching out just far enough to deflect the potential touchdown pass. Other defenders sprinted toward the end zone to celebrate the stop, which meant that Campbell's offensive players would have to close practice by performing up-downs.

Players headed toward their locker room once the practice was over, but new head coach Mike Minter remained on the field and jogged laps around it.

The energetic Minter hopes a competitive practice environment will make the Camels a more competitive team on Saturdays, starting today with their opener at Charlotte.

Minter, 39, played 10 seasons in the NFL as a Carolina Panthers safety before retiring in 2007. He has climbed the ranks in coaching, and Campbell hired him in November to replace veteran Dale Steele, whose final team went 1-10.

"Before I watched film, with 1-10, you'd just guess it was a disjointed football team," Minter said. "When I got here, the No. 1 thing that was most positive about this team was that they did care about each other. I met with all of them one on one and asked them the one thing they liked about this football team. Everyone said, 'We're a family.' I was like, 'Oh, if we've already got that, we're halfway there.'"

With chemistry crossed off, Minter said the next step is teaching his players the proper way to compete.

He developed a plan for 5 a.m. workouts to test their drive and toughness. Players participated in tire pulls, wrestling matches, shuttle relays, obstacle courses, tug of war contests, agility drills and other events designed to reveal a clear winner and loser. Losing was tolerated, as long as it revealed weaknesses and the player learned from the experience.

There's also the physical component to competing, and Minter discovered that the Camels weren't very strong as a group. When he arrived, he said only player could hang clean more than 300 pounds, and the team is challenged by the fact it doesn't have its own weight room.

Minter said 55 players stayed in Buies Creek over the summer, and he estimates that the team has increased its strength by about 30 percent. A dozen players hang clean more than 300 pounds, and at least 30 players bench press more than 300 pounds.

"Everybody's been working hard," linebacker Matt Farris said. "It's just a fresh start, new excitement, like a new life. There's a blank canvas, and we get to create our own new story."

The primary author believes in a positive approach.

Minter describes himself as a hands-on, energy guy. That's how he acted as a player, and it's how he acts as a coach.

He played for stately Nebraska coach Tom Osborne in college and appreciated the methods of John Fox, who replaced the fired George Seifert in 2002 and led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in his second season. Minter worked as an assistant to Liberty head coach Turner Gill, a former Nebraska player and assistant, before coming to Campbell.

Osborne, Fox and Gill have helped shape Minter as a person and professional.

"The love and encouragement part, Coach Osborne was like that," Minter said. "He could say two words and make you feel like you're the best person on earth. I've also been with coaches that didn't talk to you. That didn't work. Went 1-15 with that coach.

"Every coach I've been with that's been an encourager, we've won. That energy, everybody feeds off it."

The impact is already evident in practice, from the way players are competing, to the confidence they're feeling.

"We have a new attitude here at Campbell," running back Kurt Odom said. "Since the spring, it's just built every week, every day where we're trying to go."

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Contact Us

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Fayetteville Observer ~ 458 Whitfield St., Fayetteville, NC 28302 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service